Rahul takes break from politics

 In a surprise move, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has taken a break from politics and Parliament “for a few weeks” to ponder over the party’s revival.

The decision triggered wild speculation about his future plans and left several party leaders clueless and with no option but to defend the move.

Several Congress leaders wondered about the actual reason behind the “break” that has come at a time when the party had drawn up elaborate plans to corner the Narendra Modi government on the land acquisition ordinance during the Budget session that began on Monday.  Rahul’s decision was apparently conveyed late on Sunday night to a select group of leaders.

“Give him some weeks. He is away for some reason as you have been told. It is to ponder on party’s revival,” Congress president Sonia Gandhi told reporters in Parliament. Rahul had written to Sonia about his desire to proceed on leave.

The Congress, however, did not specify the duration of Rahul’s leave or whether he was in the country or abroad. The Congress went into damage-control mode to arrest the confusion among the party’s rank and file.

The party is in disarray after its successive electoral losses and the lack of direction from the leadership on the road map for the future.

Rahul has embarked on a series of organisational reforms and is insisting on having internal elections for various party posts that have put a question mark on the future of well-entrenched functionaries.

The younger lot in the Congress favour Rahul being given complete charge of the organisation to make it capable of taking on future challenges, and are also pitching for his elevation as party president.

As rumours swirled over Rahul’s continuance in the party, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the 44-year-old leader had proceeded on leave to “reflect both on recent events related to the party and its future course”.